Ram Dass probes deeply into the nature of helping relationships. He suggests that when we see deeply into each human being, no matter how desperate the situation, we are able to honor and learn from them. If we view ourselves as the "helper," we become trapped in the prison of our own self-image -- and this interferes with genuine compassion.
Ram Dass' own path has led him to look for God in every person and situation. Following this path, his life of service has included working with refugees, with the blind, and with the dying. In this moving, two-part program, he examines the delicate state of awareness in which one acts compassionately for social change while also accepting the world exactly as it is.
Ram Dass (a.k.a. Richard Alpert, Ph.D.) is a spiritual teacher and author of Be Here Now, The Only Dance There Is, The Psychedelic Experience (co-authored with Ralph Metzner, Grist for the Mill (co-authored with Stephen Levine), Journey of Awakening, Miracle of Love and How Can I Help.

"See the beloved in all the forms and yourself in all the forms. Instead of averting your eyes from pain and suffering, turn around and embrace it into yourself, without being afraid you're going to be drowned by it."